Science Quickly - podcast cover

Science Quickly

Scientific Americanwww.sciencequickly.com
Host Rachel Feltman, alongside leading science and tech journalists, dives into the rich world of scientific discovery in this bite-size science variety show.

Episodes

When Neutron Stars Collide

Astrophysicists have gotten a better glimpse at what happens to crashing neutron stars by listening in on the electromagnetic echoes of the collision. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 07, 20184 min

Bonnethead Sharks Are Underwater Lawn Mowers

The hammerhead relatives consume copious amounts of sea grass, and have the digestive machinery to process it—making them true omnivores. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 06, 20183 min

Hurricane Is a Natural Selection Experiment

When Hurricane Irma blew through the Turks and Caicos, lizards with shorter hindlimbs lucked out. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 05, 20185 min

Pasta Problem Cracked!

An intrepid undergrad led the way to understanding the physics of snapping strands of spaghetti. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 04, 20184 min

Science News You Might Have Missed

A few very brief reports about science and technology from around the globe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 31, 20184 min

Pineapple Waste Won't Be Wasted

Costa Rican scientists are extracting valuable materials from the peel and stubble of pineapples. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 27, 20184 min

Sometimes Mosquitoes Are Just Thirsty

Mosquitoes want your blood for its proteins...or simply to hydrate on a hot, dry day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 24, 20184 min

Robot Bartender Will Take Your Order

Digital assistants have to respond quickly, but correctly—so researchers are studying how real humans navigate that trade-off, to design better machines. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 23, 20184 min

Freeloading Ants Help the Workflow

Fire ants tunnels got excavated efficiently by only a small percentage of the group doing most of the work, thus avoiding pileups in tight spaces. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 21, 20184 min

Ancient Americans Bred Symbolically Important Scarlet Macaws

Genetic information from the bones of macaws found in abandoned pueblos suggests they were bred and distributed as a commodity. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 20, 20183 min

Rising CO2 Means Monarch Butterfly Bellyaches

Milkweed grown with more carbon dioxide in the air supplies fewer toxins to monarch butterflies that need the toxins to fight off gut parasites. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 17, 20183 min

For Some Crows, Migration Is Optional

Crows are what's known as "partial migrants"—as cold weather approaches, some crows fly south whereas others stay put. And that behavior appears to be ingrained. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 16, 20184 min

Plants Dominate the Planet's Biomass

About 80 percent of Earth's biomass is plant life, with humans about equal to krill way down the heft chart. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 15, 20183 min

Solar Eclipse of 2017 Boosted Science Interest

The Michigan Scientific Literacy Survey of 2017 found that last year's total solar eclipse got Americans more interested in celestial science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 14, 20184 min

Crickets Carve Tools to Amplify Their Chirps

The insects fashion and use "baffles"—sound controllers—made of leaves to produce sound more efficiently. Jason G. Goldman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 13, 20184 min

Computerized Chemical Toxicity Prediction Beats Animal Testing

Researchers programmed a computer to compare structures and toxic effects of different chemicals, making it possible to then predict the toxicity of new chemicals based on their structural similarity to known ones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 10, 20184 min

Better Data Could Mean Better Dating

Both men and women tended to pursue mates just 25 percent more desirable than themselves—suggesting they are "optimistic realists." Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 09, 20184 min

To Evolve Baleen, Lose Your Teeth First

Whale ancestors probably never had teeth and baleen at the same time, and only developed baleen after trying toothlessness and sucking in prey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 08, 20184 min

Corn Variety Grabs Fertilizer from the Air

A variety of corn from Oaxaca, Mexico, has aerial roots that harbor nitrogen-fixing bacteria, allowing the corn to suck nitrogen straight from the air. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 07, 20183 min

Birds Learn Safety from Other Kinds of Birds

Birds become good at avoiding danger by eavesdropping on the alarm calls of other birds—and the learning occurs without even seeing their peers or predators. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 02, 20183 min

Microbes Share Your Morning Metro Commute

An analysis of the Hong Kong metro found microbes, including some with antibiotic resistance genes, freshly disperse throughout the system each day. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 01, 20183 min

Oh Say Can You See Subtle Details?

Different people have differing aptitudes for observing small changes and particular features. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 31, 20184 min

Some Crows Hit On Dead Companions

About 5 percent of crows will attempt to copulate with other crows that have joined the choir invisible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 30, 20184 min

Mouth Sets Healing Standard

Certain proteins that coordinate the healing response are present at higher levels in oral tissue—meaning wounds in the mouth fix faster. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 29, 20183 min

Border Wall Could Disrupt Hundreds of Species

More than 2,500 scientists signed a letter saying that an expanded U.S.–Mexico border wall would threaten both biodiversity and scientific research. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 26, 20183 min

Turn a Wall into a Touch Screen Cheap

Researchers used a couple of hundred dollars worth of materials to turn a wall into a giant touch screen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 25, 20184 min

Ancient Tooth Tartar Traps Clues to Iron Age Diet

By analyzing the proteins in ancient dental plaque, archaeologists determined that British menus almost three millennia ago featured milk, oats and peas. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 24, 20183 min

Honey Bee Alarm Signal Could Protect Elephants

Chemicals designed to simulate honeybee alarm pheromones could deter elephants from farmers’ crops, easing conflicts with humans. Annie Sneed reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 23, 20184 min

Sea Level Rise Could Inundate the Internet

Extreme sea level rise could swamp internet cabling and hubs by 2033—and coastal cities like New York, Seattle and Miami are at greatest risk. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 20, 20183 min
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